Cigarette and process of treating same



L. G. COPEMAN CIGARETTE AND PROCESS OF TREATING SAME Filed July 24, 1930INVENTOR ZLOYD G. COPE/MN Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Lloyd G. Copeman, Flint, Mich., assignor to Copeman LaboratoriesCompany, Flint, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application July 24,1930, Serial No. 471,146

12 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarettes and process of treating same, andhas to do particularly with a novel process of treating one or both endsof a cigarette whereby to securely bind tobacco in position withoutmaterially obstructing the natural air passageways through such bondedtobaoco.

It has long been appreciated that the coating of the end of a cigaretteto form a mouthpiece and the bonding together of tobacco in the end toprevent it from coming out into the mouth would be a very desirablefeature and there have been many attempts to embody such feature in thecigarette without materially detracting from the natural properties ofthe cigarette to which the experienced smoker is accustomed. Someattempts for so treating cigarettes are well illustrated in the twopatents to Sondheim No. 556,218 of 1896 and No, 1,013,825 of 1912. Themain dimculty in solving the problem of so treating the cigarette seemsto be in the providing of suitable air passageways through the bondedpart of the tobacco.

It is an object of the present invention to so treat the end of acigarette as to positively coat or bind tobacco strands in the end of acigarette without appreciably aifecting the natural air passagewaysthrough the cigarette. This is preferably accomplished by dipping theend of the cigarette in a solution containing a bonding substance and asolvent and allowing the solvent to evaporate whereby the bondingsubstance coalesces around the tobacco strands.

Another object of the invention resides in mixing a finely groundsubstance in the solution, which substance does not detract from thebinding properties of the binding substance but which materially aids inthe application of a smooth, attractive coating which serves as amouthpiece for the end of the cigarette. This filler substance may bealso such as to make the treated portion of the paper non-inflammablewhile the binder substance deposited upon the strands of tobacco willserve to choke out or smother the burning tobacco when the cigarette isconsumed to the point at which the tobacco is treated.

Another object of the invention resides in the use of a highly dispersedmaterial or suspension characterized by a high excess of liquid solventwhich, when evaporated, will leave behind it solids much smaller involume than occupied by the original liquid. The efiect is to coat thestrands of tobacco with a new integument rather than to fill the spacesin between such strands of tobacco. Another object of the inventionresides in the use of a solvent which will not cause shrinkage of thepaper during evaporation thereof.

Another object in the use of a highly volatile medium for the dispersedor suspension is to enable the fluid to travel and penetrate around thestrands of tobacco then to evaporate very quickly thereby binding thestrands together without giving the tobacco a chance to stain the paper.Still further objects of the invention reside in the use of a colloidalsolution or suspension which will evenly coat the outside of thecigarette producing a distinct even line of demar cation between thetreated portion and the untreated portion.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic illustration of one manner ofcoating the ends of cigarettes during the manufacture thereof.

Fig. 2 illustrates the step of dipping the end of the cigarette in thetreating solution.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional illustration of the end of the cigarettehaving been treated according to my novel process.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the end of a cigarette treated with asubstance subject to the capillarity of the paper in addition to itsbinding properties.

The treatment herein described is applicable to any kind or type ofcigarette and to either or both ends thereof. Its application to the endof the cigarette which is usually placed in the mouth is desired to giveslightly difierent results than the treating of the other end of thecigarette in that the treatment of the one end is to form a mouthpiece,to bond the strands of tobacco together so as to prevent their dischargefrom the cigarette, and to harden such end of the cigarette but stillleave the same slightly resilient; while the treating of the other endof the cigarette is preferably only suflicient to keep the tobacco fromfalling out during the normal handling thereof and prior to lighting.

The preferred procedure consists in the preparation of a solution of abinder dissolved in a suitable volatile solvent. This binder may be heldin true solution, in colloidal solution or may be held in suspension,but the main point is that the cigarette is dipped into, or otherwisetreated with, this solution and removed and preferably subjected to heator a blast of air whereby the solvent is quickly evaporated and leavesbehind it the binding substance in the form of a solid, or semi-solid,which is smaller in volume than that occupied by the original liquidwith the result that such binding substance coalesces around and bindsthe strands of tobacco together; any suitable binder may be utilizedtogether with any volatile solvent and I have generally found thatbetter results are obtained the more volatile the solvent and where thesolvent forms the greater percentage of the treating solution. It willhere be understood that I do not wish to be limited to any particularsolution and that I may use a true solution, a colloidal solution, anatural solution, or in fact any substance wherein the carrying agent isvolatile and that the word solution when generally used in thespecification and claims is to be given such broad interpretation.

A preferred solution may be prepared by dissolving strips of celluloidin a solvent such as acetone. The proportion of acetone will varyconsiderably according to the kind of paper used in the manufacture ofthe cigarette and also with the type of tobacco and its porosity. Inmost cases the solvent will form the greater proportion of the solution.To this solution of celluloid and a solvent I preferably add a metallicpowder such as aluminum powder or bronze powder. This powder not onlyforms the filler but will give a smooth attractive coating in formingthe mouthpiece of the cigarette. Any suitable filler other than saidpowdered aluminum or bronze may be used and by using such a filler anypossible tendency towards discoloration of the paper is completelyconcealed. It have found that this filler will not detract in any wayfrom the coalescing of the binder around the tobacco strands and leavesthe air passageways through the tobacco substantially the same as beforethe treatment.

The cigarette is preferably dipped in such solution for only a shorttime and then removed whereupon the solvent quickly evaporates. Thisevaporation is preferably accelerated by any suitable means such as byheating or drying and the remaining portion of the solution consistingof the celluloid or other binder and the filler coalesces around andbinds together the strands of tobacco. While such depositing of thesolids from the solution need not cover all of the surfaces of thestrands of tobacco, it can be-considered as forming a very thin filmaround the individual strands of tobacco and as binding the tobaccostrands together at their points of contact.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the end of a cigarette I as being dipped in asolution 2 containing the binding material in true solution or insuspension. Because the solvent or carrying vehicle forms such a greatpart of the solution it will be obvious that this solution will enterinto and surround the strands of tobacco 3 to a relatively great extent.While the end of the cigarette is preferably not left in the solutionlong enough for the same to travel up in the inside of the cigarette tothe same level as the solution on the outside, nevertheless, suchsolution does travel up into the cigarette a sumcient extent to give theresult desired.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated as far as possible the result of theevaporation of the solvent or carrying vehicle and the depositing of thebinder and/or filler around the strands of tobacco and also as a coatingfor the outside of the paper, and also upon the inside of the paper.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated the result of dipping a cigarette in asolution wherein the solvent or carrying vehicle is affected by thecapillarity of the paper. This produces jagged edges 5 at the end of thetreated portion. I have found that such jagged edges usually resultwhere a relatively small percentage of volatile solvent is used, or aless volatile solvent is used, the reason apparently being that wherethe evaporation of the solvent is slow. sumcient time elapses for thepaper to absorb some of the treating solution and as the capillarity ofthe paper is not even the jagged edges result. However, the result issubstantially the same regardless of whether a jagged edge is formed ora straight edge is formed as is the case where a high volatile solventis used and where a filler, such as metallic powder, is used.

I have found that the use of a filler, such as metallic powder, hasseveral unexpected advantages in addition to giving a smooth outersurface in forming the mouthpiece of the cigarette. This metallic powderseems to assist in preventing shrinkage of the paper and also seems toassist in obtaining a. quick depositing of the solvent materials held insolution or suspension in the liquid.

Due to the various physical properties of different cigarettes I havefound it almost impossible to reach any definite proportions of solutionto suit allcases, but I have found that when a high volatile solvent isused with a cellulose derivative such as gun-cotton and a small amountof metallic powder added to the solution that I do obtain an even lineto distinguish the treated portion from the untreated portion and asmooth coating on the outside. Furthermore, I have further found thatthe use of a filler such as a metallic powder automatically extinguishesthe cigarette when it is burned down to the treated portion. Repeatedtests of different cigarettes have shown that they will automaticallyburn down to a point immediately adjacent the treated portion of thecigarette and then will be immediately extinguished. In view of thisphenomenon I preferably dip the cigarette in the solution fromapproximately three-fourths of an inch to one inch so that, if, afterthe cigarette is partly consumed, and the user lays it down on the edgeof a table or the like the cigarette will burn down to the treatedportion without injuring the table or other support; the threefourths toan inch being sufllclent as in most cases the user does not place thecigarette on a support until it is partly consumed.

In Fig. 1 I have diagrammatically illustrated one manner of treating theends of cigarettes which process may be used in connection withautomatic machinery now in use for making and packaging cigarettes.Suitable belts 6 and I may be utilized in carrying the cigarettes, sayfrom the wrapping machine to the packaging machine. In their course oftravel these belts may be tilted so that the cigarettes assume avertical position. At a position below the belts a suitable trough 8 maybe positioned which trough may contain a supply of treating solution 2.This trough 8 may be intermittently moved upwardly so as to treat a gangof cigarettes or may be moved along at the same speed as the belt for apredetermined distance, the reason for this being to obtain an evencoating around the end of the cigarette. The particular means used fordipping the cigarette is not important as it does not embody a part ofthe present invention.

Other solutions that may be used may consist of a solution of collodionin ether or alcohol, or a mixture of the two, or I may use latex inwhich water is the solvent or carrying agent. I have the same.

found that some of these solutions cause a slight shrinkage of the paperand others cause a slight discoloration of the paper. A mixture ofmetallic powder or other coloring agent will cover up any discolorationand the amount of shrinkage is not usually such as to be objectionable.In all such cases the use of a metallic powder or similar filler seemsto be advantageous for the reasons above pointed out. However, I havefound that where such filler is used and the solution consists of merelycollodion or some similar substance that it is effective in causingextinguishing of the cigarette when consumed to a point adjacent thetreated portion. The depositing of the solid substance on the strands oftobacco by the evaporation of the carrying agent or solvent seems toefiectively choke the tobacco strands themselves so as to positivelyprevent the burning of the tobacco past the treated portion. What theeffect of the coating on the outside of the paper has on preventingburning of the paper I am not certain and it will be obvious that I mayuse other treating solutions than those mentioned to obtain thisimportant function of automatically extinguishing the cigarette.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a cigarette wherein thestrands of tobacco at one or both ends are bonded together withoutappreeiably disturbing the numerous interstices between such strands.The treated end of the tobacco is materially stiffened while at the sametime being slightly resilient so that it can be held in the teeth of thesmoker without crushing The dipping of the cigarette in the solutionresults in the forming of a natural mouthpiece coated for the outside ofthe cigarotte, and this coating in addition to preventing the lips fromsticking to the cigarette also prevents the paper from becomingdampened. The bonding of the strands of tobacco also prevents the'samefrom loosening and dropping out of the wrapper.

Other solutions which might efiectively be used in the treatment ofcigarettes include certain natural or synthetic gums or resins dissolvedin a highly volatile liquid, for example, vinylite resins, or glyptalresins in acetone give the desired result as a treating agent. Anothervery desirable solution is a cellulose acetate solution; no camphor isused in the preparation of cellulose acetate solutions and, furthermore,they are noninflammable. An 8% solution of cellulose acetate has beenfound to give very desirable results.

What I claim is:

1.The method of treating cigarettes, which comprises dipping an endthereof in a liquid comprising a binding material held in solution by avolatile solvent and withdrawing the cigarette from said liquid wherebysaid solvent evaporates and allows the binding material to be depositedaround the individual strands of tobacco.

2. The method of binding together the strands of tobacco in a cigarettewithout materially blocking the air passageway through the tobacco,which comprises dipping an end of the cigarette in a solution containinga colloidal substance and a solvent, and removing the solvent andpermitting the colloidal substance to coalesce around and unite theindividual tobacco strands.

3. The process of treating the ends of cigarettes which comprisestreating all of the tobacco within one-fourth of an inch of the end ofthe cigarette with a solution consisting of a binder material, asolvent, and a finely dispersed filler, and then removing said solventwhereby the binder material coalesces around the tobacco strands and thebinder and filler form a coating on the outside of the end of thecigarette.

4. The process of treating the ends of cigarettes which comprisesdipping the end of the cigarette in a solution consisting of a bindermaterial, a solvent, and a finely dispersed filler, and then removingsaid solvent whereby the binder material coalesces around the tobaccostrands and the binder and filler form a coating on the outside of theend of the cigarette, and accelerating the removal of said solventwhereby to flx said coating and prevent shrinking and discoloration ofthe paper.

5. The art of treating the ends of cigarettes comprising coating theinside and outside of the end of the cigarette paper and the individualstrands of tobacco only with a solution of binding substance, a finelydispersed filler and a volatile solvent, the solvent being in suchexcess of the binding substance as to deposit upon the strands oftobacco and the inside and outside of the end of the paper an integumentof the substance and to leave open the interstices between the strandsupon evaporation of the solvent.

6. The art of treating the ends of cigarettes comprising coating theinside and outside of the end of the cigarette paper and the individualstrands of tobacco only with a solution of guncotton and allowing thesolvent to evaporate.

'7. The method of treating cigarettes having strands of tobacco confinedin a wrapper, which comprises applying to strands of tobacco in one orboth ends thereof a solution of highly volatile cellulose acetate.

8. A cigarette having the strands of tobacco and the inside of one endof the cigarette paper coated with a bonding substance existing as arelatively thin covering around the discrete strands of tobacco and onthe paper and extending back at least one-fourth of an inch from the endof the cigarette, the strands being bonded together only at their pointsof contact and substantially all the natural interstices, existingbetween the strands before coating, remaining open.

9. A process of treating the tobacco strands in a cigarette, comprisingmaking a solution including a binder and a solvent for holding the samein solution, coating all of the tobacco strands and the inside andoutside of one end of the cigarette paper within one-fourth of an inchfrom the end of the cigarette with this solution and removing thesolvent and permitting the binder to unite the strands of tobacco andcoat the inside and outside of the paper.

10. A cigarette or like article having a portion of the tobacco thereinbonded against disintegration by the presence therein of a thinreinforcing coating containing a filler around all the discrete strandsof tobacco and on the inside and outside of one end of the cigarettepaper and extending back at least one-fourth of an inch from the end ofthe cigarette, substantially all the natural interstitial spaces betweenthe strands remaining open.

11. A cigarette having strands of tobacco at the end thereof bondedtogether by binding material containing a filler surrounding theindividual strands of tobacco and the inside of one end of the cigarettepaper only as a thin coating and for a considerable distance from theend of the cigarette and leaving all the natural intersticestherebetween substantially open, and a layer of said binding materialand filler on the outside of the cigarette and forming a mouthpiecesubstantially three-fourths of an inch long.

12. The method of treating' cigarettes having thin strands of tobaccorather loosely confined in an outer substantially cylindrical wrapper,which comprises impregnating the individual discrete strands of tobaccoand the inside and outside of one end of the cigarette paper, and to aconsiderable distance from, one end of the wrapper with a coatingincluding a binder carried by a solvent, evaporating the solvent anddepositing the binder in a thin substantially continuous sheath on theinside and outside of the paper and around the individual strands oftobacco at the points where they cross or contact with each other,whereby the interstitial spaces between the strands of tobacco at andfor a considerable distance from the treated end of the cigarette remainopen and the strands bonded to each other through the medium of the thindeposited sheath so as to prevent the strands from falling from thecigal0 rette during smoking of the same.

LLOYD G. COPEMAN.

